The Oscar documentary short list

Narrowing down the finalists in the Best Documentary category, as with several other Oscar categories, is a two-step process: first a short list of 15 is announced, then narrowed down to five at the time of the nominations announcement on January 16. Today the Academy announced that list; here are the titles, along with notes on when/where you can see these movies:

“The Act of Killing” (in theaters last summer; DVD out January 7)
“The Armstrong Lie” (now playing at Sundance Cinemas)
“Blackfish” (currently available on DVD/streaming media)
“The Crash Reel” (opening in theaters this month; no Seattle date set yet)
“Cutie and the Boxer” (in theaters last summer; currently available on Amazon Instant Video)
“Dirty Wars” (currently available on DVD/streaming media)
“First Cousin Once Removed” (available on HBO GO)
“God Loves Uganda” (in theaters last month)

“Life According to Sam” (available at HBO On Demand)
“Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer” (available on HBO GO)
“The Square” (coming Jan. 17 to Sundance Cinemas)
“Stories We Tell” (in theaters last summer, now on DVD/streaming)
“Tim’s Vermeer” (coming to Seattle March 7)
“20 Feet from Stardom” (in theaters last summer; DVD coming January 14)
“Which Way Is the Front Line from Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington” (screening on HBO December 9, also available on HBO GO)

And now, a moment of silence for some of my favorite documentaries this year that didn’t make the cut: “56 Up,” “At Berkeley,” “Good Ol’ Freda,” “A Place at the Table,” “The Waiting Room,” “Deceptive Practices: Ricky Jay.” Any favorites you’d like to name? Of the six finalists I’ve seen (“The Armstrong Lie,” “Blackfish,” “Cutie and the Boxer,” “Stories We Tell,” “Tim’s Vermeer,” and “20 Feet from Stardom”), my vote would have to go to “Stories We Tell”; check it out, and see if you agree with me.